NBA Mock Draft: OKC Thunder Select North Carolina Freshman, Former 5-Star Prospect

The Oklahoma City Thunder have a chance to add depth in the upcoming NBA draft, potentially improving what is already a deep roster.

Dec 4, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Drake Powell (9) scores in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Earlier this week, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman published an updated mock draft that saw the Oklahoma City Thunder's first pick come at No. 16 overall.

OKC will receive a selection near the lottery after multiple trades made by Sam Presti and company throughout the past few years. In Wasserman’s most recent projection, the draft analyst paired North Carolina freshman Drake Powell with the Thunder in the first round. 

Listed at 6-foot-6 and 195 pounds, Powell was rated the No. 11 player in the 2024 recruiting class and the No. 3 small forward in the nation, according to 247Sports. Following a stellar high school career in Pittsboro, NC, Powell was honored as a McDonald’s All-American.

In his first nine games with the Tar Heels, Powell is averaging 5.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting 47.5% from the floor and 38.9% from beyond the arc. While the talented wing prospect’s stats aren’t eye-popping, his athletic ability and potential upside are intriguing for scouts.

“Powell’s combination of size, length, physicality, and lateral quickness gives him a unique blend of defensive attributes, and that’s already an identity that he embraces,” Adam Finkelstein wrote for 247Sports. “He’s fully engaged on that end of the floor, calling out the opposition’s plays, and typically defending the other team’s best player. He projects as being a very versatile, multi-positional defender and is already a good wing rebounder who snatches balls above the rim. Offensively, his game is still a bit of a work-in-progress. He’s not yet the high-volume scorer or primary creator that we typically associate with five-star prospects, but there are nonetheless clear tools and signs of progress.”

Powell’s strength as a defender would fit well in Oklahoma City, and his rebounding prowess would be a helpful addition on the wing.

Wasserman also slotted Illinois’ freshman and former 5-star prospect Will Riley to the Thunder later in his mock draft.

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